FRISIAN

FRISIAN. A GERMANIC LANGUAGE spoken in coastal regions and islands in the north of the Netherlands and in neighbouring western Germany to the Danish border; the most closely related of the Continental languages to English. Some scholars have supposed the existence of an ANGLO-FRISIAN language during the migratory period before the ANGLO-SAXON tribes reached Britain in the 5c. The languages share common phonological features, such as: the initial consonant in English cheese, church, chaff, Frisian tsiis, tsjerke, tsjef (Compare DUTCH kaas, kerk, kaf, GERMAN Käse, Kirche, Kaff); a front vowel in English sleep, sheep, Frisian sliepe, skiep (Compare Dutch slapen, schaap, German schlafen, Schaf); the loss of n in words such as English goose, us, Frisian goes, ús (Compare Dutch gans, ons, German Gans, uns). The main variety is Modern West Frisian, spoken by some 400,000 people in and around the Netherlands province of Friesland. Since the 19c, Frisian has revived as a literary language. A movement seeking independence from the influence of the province of Holland has enhanced the legal status of Frisian and promoted its use along-side Dutch, especially in schools, where it was illegal until 1937. The Frisian Academy (founded in 1938) sponsors scholarly publications on Frisian history and culture, including a definitive historical dictionary.